Who is Kali Kumor? National MS Society 90-year-old volunteer controversy explained

A 90-year-old California woman, Fran Itkoff, claims she was asked to "step away" from her volunteering position at the National MS Society (National Multiple Sclerosis Society) for asking about pronoun usage. The incident first came to light after X user @libsoftiktok shared a post stating,

"UNREAL. National MS Society (@mssociety) forced a 90-year-old volunteer to step down because she wasn’t “inclusive” enough after she asked what pronouns are."

Libs of TikTok also shared a copy of a letter sent to Fran stating she would no longer be affiliated with the society as she failed to "abide by (their) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion guidelines." Kali Kumor, a Community Engagement manager with the organization responsible for the volunteers, sent the letter to Fran.

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Fran Itkoff was a volunteer with the National MS Society for 60 years before she received the pink slip

Fran Itkoff was the Lakewood/Long Beach Self-Help Group leader with the National MS Society, where she volunteered with her husband before his death. She held the position for 60 years and received multiple awards for her and her husband's work with the organization.

Itkoff claims she was confused after she saw several people sign off their emails and letters with names and their chosen pronouns. In a statement given to the social media account of Libs of TikTok, she remarked,

"I was confused, I didn’t know what it was, what it meant. I’ve seen it on a couple of letters that had come in after the person’s name they had the pronouns, but I didn’t know what that meant."

To this extent, she asked a National MS Society representative what it meant. However, Fran claimed she did not receive a clear answer, stating that she (the representative) said it meant "they were inclusive," which Fran stated, "didn't make sense."

As per the NY Post, Fran was confused about how "She/Her" pronouns were all-inclusive when they only referred to females, not men.

Just days after the incident with the representative, the 90-year-old volunteer received the pink slip. She told Libs of TikTok,

"At the end of the day, end of the week, I got an email from her saying they were sorry, but they had to ask me to step down as a volunteer for the MS society."

As news of Fran being asked to step down gained traction, Libs of TikTok shared an update post finding out the organization's manager responsible for the letter, Kali Kumor. The account called for action against Kumor, who by then deleted her LinkedIn account. @linsoftiktok tagged @mssociety, claiming Kali was trying to run away from her actions.

Update post by Libs of TikTok (Image via X/@linsoftiktok)

Fran's daughter, Elle Hamilton, was shocked at the reasoning behind asking her mother to step down. She pointed out the irony in excluding her "90-year-old disabled" mother who has "volunteered for over 60 years."

"It’s sad that they’re discriminating against her. MS doesn’t discriminate, it can happen to anybody, and yet they’re discriminating against her trying to help just because she asked a question to explain what pronouns were."

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While the National MS Society has not released any statements regarding the controversy, Itkoff stated she would continue her role with the self-help group because the "patients that come want to keep going."